Service, Research, and Teaching Expectations for TPAC and Research Faculty

TPAC and RF are regular faculty members in the College. They make vital contributions to the College in a wide range of areas. Their functions include instructional duties, administrative responsibilities, technical or creative obligations, research, and various combinations of these specific tasks. In addition, many make important contributions in service to the University. TPAC and RF are expected to contribute to the construction and advancement of our intellectual community. For TPAC faculty, since research is not normally expected as a primary aspect of their responsibilities, the dynamics of service obligations are slightly different than they are for T-TT faculty.

The assignment of responsibilities varies widely and is determined on an individual basis.

TPAC are expected to devote approximately 20% of their workload to service. Rank does not curtail service as strictly as it does for T-TT faculty since the same research expectations do not apply. However, rank does often affect eligibility. Assistant TPACs are expected to contribute to their departments. While there is no restriction (other than the guidelines of specific committees) for them to serve on College and University-wide committees, the College urges assistant TPACs to devote their greatest energy to their teaching and to service responsibilities connected to teaching. Since many instructional TPACs are members of language and literature departments, it is expected that they will make contributions to the administration and, where relevant, support of language learning in their own department and, perhaps, in the College more generally. In many cases, the TPAC will contribute to extracurricular learning opportunities for students, though their contributions in these areas do not release T-TT faculty from contributing to this mission as well. Associate and full TPAC should expand their roles by accepting leadership positions. As with their T-TT counterparts, faculty in the senior ranks should provide the leadership within the College. The nature of the roles that they assume should expand as they move through the ranks, with the assumption that they will take on more significant roles with each promotion.

The assignment of responsibilities for TPAC and research faculty members varies widely and is determined on an individual basis. Responsibilities should be addressed at the time of hiring and annually at the time that the department chairperson or unit director evaluates the previous year’s performance for a salary recommendation. It is important that there be a mutual understanding about responsibilities. Employees whose responsibilities are exclusively administrative should be appointed as staff.

Many TPAC and research faculty members teach the equivalent of a 3:3 course schedule together with a well-defined service or administrative assignment that fills a vital department need during the entirety of the academic year. The service or administrative assignment must be substantial enough to account for 25% of the faculty member’s total responsibilities. In some cases, the assignment may specify that the faculty member will teach very large sections of introductory courses and perform less service or administration. In other instances, a faculty member may be assigned a 4:4 course schedule with no expectation of taking on service or administrative roles.

All faculty are expected to contribute service to the University and to participate in the development and governance of their respective departments, the College, and the University.